U.S. Aid for Abortions for Women With Zika

As Brazil considers easing restrictions on abortion in the wake of the Zika virus, the White House must also evaluate our own policies that stand in the way of helping women affected by the disease.

United States foreign aid is desperately needed and could have a real impact on the ability of Brazilian clinics to treat Zika patients seeking access to safe abortion care. And yet it cannot, because since 1973, a flawed interpretation of the Helms Amendment — which only prohibits “the performance of abortion as a method of family planning or to motivate or coerce any person to practice abortions” — has forbidden aid for abortion in all circumstances.

In the midst of this global health crisis, this ban forces women to make an impossible — even life-threatening — choice. The White House has the power to lift restrictions on American aid for women affected by Zika who need access to safe abortion care — and, in fact, both Democratic candidates have committed to fixing Helms. It’s time for Republican candidates to do the same, and for us all to stop playing political games with women’s lives.